Posts Tagged ‘whole grain’

I started making this granola recipe about six months ago. Oats, nuts, coconut, seeds — yum! And even though it’s good as written, I’ve tweaked and tweaked and tweaked.

My boys wanted it sweeter, so I added 1/2 cup real maple syrup. I also upped the vanilla (you can never go wrong there). The ginger was a bit much for me, so I took an entire teaspoon away. I also added more oats. I think that’s all.

If you want something less sweet with more {much more} ginger, check out the original recipe. However, if you kids like things a little more sweet and a little less spicy,try mine.

Once upon a time, I purchased boxed pancake mix, packets of muffin mix, pre-made pizza crusts, and frozen waffles. All made with all-purpose flour (and who knows what else).

Now I make our pancakes, muffins, pizza crust, waffles, and quick breads from scratch. Ideally, I would use all whole grains all the time for our baked goods. Realistically, I don’t. I use half (whole wheat flour) and half (unbleached white flour).

When I’m making a recipe and it calls for 2 cups of flour, it’s easy. I just use one cup of each. However, I hate trying to figure out how to halve 3 3/4 cups or 1 7/9 cups*. It’s just unrealistic to figure those out on the fly!

So, I had a make-my-life-easier moment the other day. I asked my little cooking friend, Kristen, to help me mix up a big batch of half whole wheat flour and half unbleached white flour before we started in on bigger projects. Now, I don’t have to do any math. I just grab what I need and go.

If I ever post a recipe that calls for half and half flour blend, you’ll know what I’m talking about. If I ever post a recipe, that is.

Note: If you are just venturing into the world of whole wheat, you might want to make a different mix for your family with less whole wheat, but I really think you’ll like things made with half and half.

*I actually have not had a recipe call for 1 7/9 cups of flour. I just like being dramatic.